In the month of April, we dedicated a weekend to celebrating the multiple cultures of our student body, first through art and dance during school assembly on Saturday, then further through an opportunity to share food, music, and information from around the world during WorldFest on Sunday. These annual events are a time for the Taft community to come together and recognize how special it is for us to be able to experience all sorts of cultures and forms of performing arts.
During the Multicultural Arts Celebration, we saw hula, tap, step, and hip hop dance, as well as live music. All the performances were student-led and choreographed, with performers taking time outside of school to put them together, displaying both artistry and leadership. The assembly began with a rendition of the Butterfly Lovers Concerto, with Steven Zhang ‘26 on the violin and Mr. Thompson on the piano. The piece draws inspiration from Yue Opera and tells the story of Chinese folklore’s tragic romantic couple, Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai. Next, Eden Thompson ‘26 and Naomi Thompson ‘28 from Kauai introduced their hula dance. With two other dancers, Maya Takanabe ‘26 and Yolanda Wang ‘26, they performed a beautiful hula piece against the backdrop of the song “Aloha Kauai,” a tribute to their home island of Kauai. They had learned this dance over the summer with their own kumu (teacher). Naomi said, “Hula is a significant tradition we had growing up, and we’re very grateful for the opportunity to preserve, celebrate, and share Hawaiian culture at Taft.” Following the calmness of the hula was the rhythmic Step dance, performed by the Step Club, headed by Madison Kirkland ‘27 and Manuella Bawuah ‘28. Dancers chanted, “Taft is our home where we thrive, Taft full of colors where we strive for greatness. Cultural differences coming together, united as one, we get better and better. Kindness, selflessness, progress, success.” The powerful message came at a fitting time, reminding us that everything that makes us different is what is exceptional. After the Step performance came the wonderful tap-dancing duo of Jabari King ‘26 and Isaac Obeng ‘26, who performed a memorable dance to Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” that spanned the whole auditorium by the end of the piece. Their hypnotizing movements had one awestruck freshman yell, “What can’t those two do?” Finally, assembly closed off with a Hip-Hop piece by the Dance Club, led by Jabari and Mehar Trehan ‘26. The dance was an homage to Black artists and music, with the ensemble dancing to a mash-up of multiple Black artists. It was fun and energetic, with the performers even showing off an impressive Michael Jackson moonwalk.
The next day, Main Hall was filled with tables of food and drinks, each station representing a country along with one or more students from said country. Turning the corner, the combined smell of each cuisine was irresistible, and the festival was soon picked dry, unsurprisingly. Going down the food train, Shanghai was one of the most popular stations, serving boba across from Nigeria, which was next to Hawaii, handing out delicious spam musubi. One of the most popular dishes was the baklava that Lalin Hasoglu ‘27 shipped from Turkey, a rich, sweet pastry made of crispy dough with chopped nuts and honey layered in between. Another favorite was the fried plantains at the Jamaica table, headed by Kaiel Casserly ‘26, a tasty, warm little treat that is sweet yet rich at the same time. Each year, the whole school awaits the arrival of these different cuisines, and this year’s time around definitely didn’t disappoint those who were present. WorldFest is an event that brings Taft together through the universal love of food, giving many the opportunity to share experiences and traditions with the community. Much more than just a celebration of distinct cuisine and the Arts, WorldFest and the Multicultural Arts celebration serve as a yearly reminder of the diversity that thrives within our Taft community and the connections that are born when people come together to share pieces of their culture.
Photo courtesy of Robert Falcetti
